Sumner County couple plead guilty to 18-year Social Security fraud

6:49 PM,
Apr. 9, 2013

Written by

Jer?Mykeal McCoy
| The Tennessean

A Sumner County couple pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to their roles in defrauding the government of $121,770 in Social Security payments over an 18-year period.

Michael Dominic Rossi, 55, and his wife, Sigrid Helvig, 46, acknowledged that they knowingly defrauded the government of benefits they received through the Supplementary Security Income program operated by the Social Security Administration for some medically disabled citizens.

Rossi, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, became eligible for the benefits in 1983 when he was unmarried, according to court ...